What is SROI?

Social Return on Investment (SROI) is a framework that measures the broader social, environmental, and economic value created by an initiative, compared to the investment made. It helps quantify impact in monetary terms by asking:

“How much social value was created for every rupee invested?”

Over the past 30 years, Saath has worked deeply in the urban communities of Behrampura, Vasna, and Juhapura, impacting over 3.8 lakh people. A third-party SROI study conducted by 4th Wheel assessed this long-term impact using participatory methods and international standards.

About the Study

    Evaluator:

    4th Wheel
    (Independent third-party)

    Sample Universe:

    21,653
    individuals

    Sample Size:

    377
    respondents

    Research Tools: Focus Group Discussions, Contingency Valuation, Value Game, Hypothetical Budgets, and Semi-Structured Interviews

What Was Measured?

  • Communities Studied: Behrampura, Vasna, Juhapura, Ahmedabad Gujrat
  • People Impacted: 3,80,106
  • Sample Size: 377 people (from a universe of 21,653)
  • Investment Value: ₹12.87 crore
  • Total Present Value Created: ₹267.79 crore

How We Measured It

SROI Principles
  • Involving stakeholders
  • Understanding what changes
  • Valuing what matters
  • Including only what is material
  • Avoiding over-claiming
  • Being transparent
  • Verifying results
SROI Process
  • Define scope & stakeholders
  • Map outcomes
  • Value outcomes
  • Establish impact
  • Calculate SROI
  • Embed findings
Research Tools Used
  • Focus Group Discussions
  • Contingency Valuation
  • Value Games
  • Hypothetical Budgets
  • Semi-structured Interviews

What the Study Found

Behrampura
₹17.10
Vasna
₹33.29
Juhapura
₹4.24
Overall
₹20.80

Each rupee invested generated up to ₹20 in social value.